Ed Miliband has said the expansion of Heathrow and other airports “won’t go ahead” if they don’t meet the UK’s emissions targets – putting him on a potential collision course with Rachel Reeves.
The chancellor has not commented directly on whether she would support a third runway at Heathrow, but she has indicated she would be prepared to overrule environmental objections to allow the project to go ahead.
Ms Reeves has been emphasising that growth is the UK’s number one priority and is expected to use a speech on Wednesday to support the expansion, as well as similar plans for Gatwick and Luton.
But appearing in front of the Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Mr Miliband – the cabinet minister responsible for pushing forward the government’s net zero agenda – struck a different tone to the chancellor.
He told MPs that any aviation expansion must take place within the UK’s carbon budgets, including the 2050 target to reduce emissions by 100% compared with 1990 levels.
Independent advisers on the government’s Climate Change Committee (CC) have called for no net airport expansion without a proper national plan to curb emissions from the aviation sector and manage passenger capacity.
The CCC is publishing its next carbon budget – the legal limit for UK net emissions of greenhouse gases from 2038 to 2042 – on 26 February.
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The energy secretary did not say whether a potential third runway could be approved before that.
Mr Miliband, who has been a vocal opponent of Heathrow expansion in the past, told MPs: “I just want to sort of provide this element of reassurance to you, which is 100% any aviation expansion must be justified within carbon budgets, and if it can’t be justified, it won’t go ahead.”
His comments put him at odds with Ms Reeves, who told Sky News at the World Economic Forum in Davos, that she would back infrastructure projects even where they are unpopular.
Asked directly if she would now put the runway, along with expansion at Gatwick and Luton ahead of the UK’s net zero commitments, Ms Reeves said: “I’m not going to comment on speculation, but what I would say is when the last government faced difficult decisions about whether to support infrastructure investment, the answer always seemed to be no.
“We can’t carry on like that, because if we do, we will miss out on crucial investment here into Britain. You’ve already seen a number of decisions, including on Stansted and City Airport, on energy projects, on transport infrastructure, because we are determined to grow the economy.”
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On Monday evening Ms Reeves addressed a meeting of the Labour Parliamentary Party (PLP) to push the case for growth – but did not mention Heathrow specifically.
She told Labour MPs her speech on Wednesday would be about “economic growth built on the platform of stability”, adding there were “no easy routes out”.
She said: “There are always reasons for government to say no.
“Over the past six months as chancellor, my experience is that government has become used to saying no. That must change. We must start saying yes.”
A spokesman for the chancellor said there had been “overwhelming support” for her as she addressed the PLP and that Ruth Cadbury, the chair of the Transport Select Committee, was the only dissenting voice.
They said Ms Reeves declined to comment on speculation about an announcement regarding the runway.
He said: “There was overwhelming support for what Rachel had to say, overwhelming support for the need to build infrastructure, overwhelming support for the government’s agenda to reform the planning system.”
Last week Mr Miliband ruled out resigning from the government if it gives the third runway the go-ahead.
Read more:
Why are Heathrow’s expansion plans controversial?
Will the chancellor’s plans finally boost growth?
Heathrow has not yet submitted a full application for a third runway – something it has been pushing for several years.
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Despite construction receiving parliamentary approval in 2018, the plans have been delayed by legal challenges and the coronavirus pandemic.
One Labour MP in London told Sky News they would only support Heathrow expansion if it met the tests Labour outlined in its manifesto around air quality, noise pollution, climate change obligations and countrywide benefits.
“Heathrow have to put their money where their mouth is and present the evidence,” they said.
